If you have ever lived in New York or know someone who does you are probably familiar with the apartment rental problem and how rent controlled apartments work. People go crazy whenever someone is leaving one of these apartments; they wait years for someone to actually die to get one. Costa Rica rentals, at least permanent rentals, are becoming just as hard to get.

 

dreaming of a Costa Rica home

Young ticos, all they can do is dream…

 

Young people in Costa Rica who are starting their independent lives, are going through quite a ride trying to get a place to move in near their schools and work places: rent is way high for a person that studies and works, so they have to figure out a way to be able to afford rent and avoid wasting money on gas (if they are luck y to own a car), transportation and food. Costa Rica has very low salaries compared to the costs of food every necessities, affordable apartments or homes that work for them are very few and hard to get, normally those apartments tend to cost as much as their salaries or more, so whenever normal priced apartment shows up they will do anything to get it. As I have explained before, real estate in Costa Rica has taken a very bad turn for Ticos: prices on the real estate listings have become affordable only to foreigners, especially “gringos”.

 

Young professionals do try to make ends meet by having 2 jobs or freelancing while having a regular 9 to 5 job. Costa Rica has one of the highest literacy rates in the world, meaning that young professionals are actually a majority and affordable apartments are not. Costa Rica business panorama is more and more focus on getting international businesses interested, which is great for us, yet the locals are the ones that have to pay for it.